The Marengo Jake Stories: The Tales of Jake Mitchell and Robert Wilton Burton

Marengo Jake: He Tells About a Famous "Dry Drought"

MarengoJake He Tells About a Famous "Dry Drought" OLD TIMES ON A PLANTATIONHOW JAKE TOTED WATERMILLIONS FOR THE GINGER CAKE GALS AND THE DISASTROUS EFFECTS Jake was making a great show ofdigging a hole in the ground for a fence post, but the earth was very dry and hard, and more than once as persons passed he manifested a disposition to stop and talk. But every one seemed intent on his own business, and hurried past, and, since he could find no one to whom he might address his remarks, he began to talk to himself. "I clar to gracious!" he began, pausing in his work, "efdis yer aint de hardest dirt ever I seed sence de big dry drought down dar in M'ringer-" "What's that yarn about Marengo?" asked a voice at Jake's back. Jake turned suddenly and discovered a white gentleman standing in arm's length. "Law! Moss Tom, I didn't know you was anywhars 'bout," exclaimed Jake, making a profound bow and grinning from ear to ear. "You crope up on me, Moss Tom. I was 106 / A Famous ((Dry Drought)) des miratin' how dis yer crowbar bounce out'n de yeth ever I time I joog hit down." "No, you were not, you old black rascal; you said something about the drought in Marengo." "Did I, Moss Tom? Well I ax yo' pardon an' I grant yo' grace. I'm sorter forgitless dis mornin'. Y[e]s, sah, sence I come to reecolleck, I b'lieve dat dry drought did pass 'cross my mine. I never is to forgit dat time." "Why?" "Caze we all like to perish offer de yeth." "Was it any drier than it is here now?" "Moss Tom, you don't know nothin' 'bout dry times. You look at me. What does I favor?" "A monkey more than anything else." "Yah, yah, Moss Tom, you'd have yo' fun ef you was gwine to die. Well, I'm hopes I outfavor any monkey ever I seed in de show. I'm a black complected man, but w'en I was young down dar in M'ringer I was des es likely a nigger es ever put his foot on M'ringer dirt. Yas, sah; I was dat[.] My old moster had fo' hunderd ginger cake gals would a been glad to a cotch me, let lone de black uns, 'fo' dat dry drought come on." "What did the drouth have to do with your personal pulchritude?" "Hit had a lots to do wid it. Hitwas de casion 0' me havin' any. I use to be a tall sooply young man, des like a black snake stannin' upon de een 0' his tail, an' I was a runner, too, man. Now I'm sorter stumpy, an' I don't speck I could jump a ten rail fence, cepin dey was somebody cloast behine me wid a double b[a]rrel gun. No, sah; and I couldn' crawl thoo a crack twix de rails neither, an' efI was to fine a fat possum up a simmon tree, I'd des hatter stan' dar an' thow rocks at him, caze I know I couldn't reach him, an' I'm dat stumpy I couldn't clam de tree. A Famous "Dry Drought» / 107 "Yas sah, dat was de driest drought ever been in dis Newnited state 0' Alabama." "Did the dry weather check your growth?" "Who? Me? No, sah; 1was done grown den; an' de idee 0' gittin married was mnnin' in my hed. 1never is seed Majone yit, an' the onliest thing what bother me I couldn't make up my mine w'ich one 0' dem ginger cake gals I want de wust. Yah! yah! yah-ee. Oh, dem likely gals! Dey use to honey 'roun' me, an' look pleasin' at me like I wus dat sweet dey nearly dead to buss me. But 1 knowed in reason ole master warnt gwine to 'gree for me to marry all fo' hundred 0' dem gingercake gals, an' efhe had a, dem black complected gals dey would a raise de bigges' racket ever dey was on dat ar plantation. What I was studyin' 'bout was w'ich one 0' dem gals I dmther have. Dat was what was a pestin' me." "Well, what's all that got to do with the drouth? I don't believe there ever was...